Fool's Gold Loaf is a

sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

made by the Colorado Mine Company, a restaurant in

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, Colorado. It consists of a single warmed, hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with the contents of one jar of creamy

peanut butter Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners, or emulsifiers. Peanut butter is consumed in many countri ...

, one jar of grape jelly, and a pound of

bacon Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...

. The sandwich's connection to the singer

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

is the source of its legend and prolonged interest. According to ''The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley'', Presley and his friends took his private jet from

Graceland Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, which was once owned by rock and roll icon Elvis Presley. His daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited Graceland after his death in 1977. Graceland is located at 3764 Elv ...

, purchased 30 of the sandwiches, and spent two hours eating them and drinking

Perrier Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier was part of th ...

and

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

before flying home. The story became legend and the sandwich became the subject of continued media interest and part of numerous cookbooks, typically focused on Presley's love of food.

Origin

There are two accounts on the origin of Fool's Gold Loaf. According to Graeme Wood, it was created by Cindy and Buck Scott, owners of the Colorado Mine Company restaurant. Wood writes that Presley obtained the recipe from the Scotts so his personal chef could make it, but noted that "the Fool's Gold Loaf never made a recorded encore". According to Nick Andurlakis, he helped create the sandwich while he was a chef at the Colorado Mine Company and suggested the dish to Presley. Andurlakis said that he personally delivered the sandwiches to Presley on the famous night. The sandwich was named to fit the restaurant's mining motif. At the time of Presley's famous outing, it cost $49.95 ().

Preparation

The recipe has been repeated by numerous sources, including ''The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley'' and Andurlakis, a chef at the Colorado Mine Company. The Fool's Gold Loaf begins with a loaf of French white bread that is covered in two tablespoons of margarine and baked in the oven at until brown. One pound of sliced bacon is fried in oil until crispy and drained. The loaf is sliced lengthwise, hollowed out, and filled with peanut butter, grape jelly and bacon. According to Andurlakis, he personally served Presley the Fool's Gold Loaf with bacon, peanut butter, and blueberry preserves on a loaf of French bread. The specific type of preserves was allegedly Dickinson's blueberry preserves.

Elvis Presley connection

David Adler's book contains a detailed account of the event that made the Fool's Gold Loaf sandwich famous. On the night of February 1, 1976, Elvis Presley was at his home at

in Memphis, entertaining

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Jerry Kennedy of the

Denver Police Department The Denver Police Department (DPD) is the full service police department jointly for the City and County of Denver, Colorado, which provides police services to the entire county, including Denver International Airport, and may provide contractu ...

, and Ron Pietrafeso of Colorado's Strike Force Against Crime. The three men began discussing the sandwich, and Presley decided he wanted one right then. Presley had been to the restaurant before, while in Denver. Kennedy and Pietrafeso were friends of the owners, so they were driven to the Memphis airport and boarded Presley's private

Convair 880 The Convair 880 is an American narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller but faster, a niche that failed to create demand. Wh ...

jet, the ''Lisa Marie'', and flew the two hours to Denver. When they arrived at

Stapleton International Airport Stapleton International Airport was a major airport in the western United States, and the primary airport of Denver, Colorado, from 1929 to 1995. It was a hub for Continental Airlines, the original Frontier Airlines, People Express, United ...

at 1:40 AM, the plane taxied to a special hangar where the passengers were greeted by Buck Scott, the owner of the Colorado Mine Company, and his wife Cindy, who had brought 22 fresh Fool's Gold Loaves for the men. They spent two hours in the hangar eating the sandwiches, washing them down with

and

. Presley invited the pilots of the plane, Milo High and Elwood Davis, to join them. When they were done, they flew back to Memphis without ever leaving the Denver airport.

Coverage

The Fool's Gold Loaf connection to Elvis Presley dominates the media's coverage of the subject. It was widely reported as "legend" by the media; including the

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's ''

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'', ''

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'', and the ''

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''. Doug Clark, a columnist for ''

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'', recounts the popular story and writes that the Fool's Gold Recipe is "surprisingly tasty" and notes that it contains around . The popular legend and sandwich were also noted by the '' Smithsonian''. The recipe has been included in numerous publications and cookbooks, including David Alder's book ''The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley''. Alder's work continued with the television documentary ''The Burger and The King''. Another publication by Alder, ''Eating the Elvis Presley Way,'' was later released. The Fool's Gold Loaf has been detailed in ''Ramble Colorado: The Wanderer's Guide to the Offbeat, Overlooked, and Outrageous''. ''The Peanut Butter and Co. Cookbook'' refers to the Fool's Gold Loaf legend and ties it to the peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich, also known as the "Elvis sandwich". In addition, the sandwich and its connection to Presley is featured in the 2013 romantic comedy '' The F Word (What If)'', with '' The Last Leg'' showing it off as well, in order to promote the film. A Fool's Gold Loaf was one of the ingredients used in the 2018 "Grill Masters: Memphis" episode of ''Chopped''. A 3-pound version of the Fool's Gold Loaf, known as the "Elvis Challenge", was prepared by

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

restaurant Succotash during a 2019 episode of the

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's '' Man v. Food''.

References

External links

Video report
about preparation of Fool's Gold Loaf, ''